Shelf



Dec. 30, .1941. E, R, ERICKSON 2,268,024

SHELF Filed Dec. 26', 1959 INVENT OR.

./z/zaaffi/x'c/asozz BY 9 i h m ATTORNEYS Patented Dee. 30, 1941 SHELF Ernest R. Erickson, Des Moines, Iowa, assignor to C. E. Erickson Company, Incorporated, Des Moines, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application December 26, 1939, Serial No. 310,998

6 Claims.

My invention has reference to the construction of a shelf which is particularly adapted for the advantageous display of merchandise.

I have in mind particularly the display of that class of bakery products known as sweet goods, including cakes, rolls and the like. However, my shelving construction is equally adaptable to the display of goods of other kinds.

An object of my invention is to make possible the loading of an inclined display rack with items of merchandise of varying sizes and shapes.

Another object is to provide means on the rack so that each item of merchandise can be individually supported. It is undesirable, for various reasons, to stack certain kinds of bakery goods one upon the other. In some cases the lower items will be compacted to greater or less degree and may become soggy. In other cases, the weight of other goods superimposed on a lower item may cause the frosting or other sticky coating on the baked goods to adhere to the glassine wrappers, and consumers of such goods do not like to have the frosting adhere to the wrapper.

Another object of my construction is to provide shelves for a merchandise display rack which can be simply and conveniently tipped up out of the way when not needed.

A further object is to provide a construction for such a shelf which will avoid the accumulation of crumbs in the hinge joint.

Another object is to provide such a shelf structure which can be simply and economically formed and assembled.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a merchandise display rack having shelves embodying the construction which I have invented.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of such a display rack.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6, is a view similar to Figure 5, but showing the shelf tipped up in out of the way position.

In the accompanying drawing I have used the reference numeral I0 to indicate a supporting panel, preferably formed of sheet metal.

The panel I!) may be mounted on standards l2 so that it can be set on a table or counter, or it may be provided with any other desirable form of attaching means for connection to a mounting surface.

The panel l0 may be provided with a bottom flange T4 and with rolled or folded edges l6 at the top and bottom to give stiffness to the construction.

The panel In is preferably mounted in such a position that it is tilted somewhat as may be most clearly seen in Figure 3.

For supporting goods on the panel II] for display or other purposes I provide the folding shelves l8. The shelves l8 consist of a main portion 20 and lugs 22 extending therefrom. The shelves l8 are preferably formed from sheet metal, in which case the portion 20 and the lugs 22 can be formed integrally, the lugs 22 being bent at right angles to the portion 20 as indicated, for example, in Figure 5.

Horizontally elongated slots 24 are formed in the panel l0 and the lugs 22 of the shelves are extended through the slots. After the shelves l8 have thus been mounted in the slots, a portion of the lugs 22 is bent or deformed as at 26, to prevent the lugs from being withdrawn through the slots. Adjacent the lugs 22 the edge of the portion 20 of the shelf is formed as at 28 to afford a bearing'against the panel ID as may be seen in Figures 4 and 5. Otherwise,

. however, the edge of the portionZll adjacent the panel i0 is relieved, as seen at 30, 32, and 34 in Figure 4, so that the edge of portion 20, when the shelf is in the extended position as in Figure 5, is somewhat spaced away from the panel Ill. The space thus provided allows crumbs or other foreign matter to drop through between the portion 20 of the shelf and the panel Ill so that there will be no obstructions to cause binding when it is desired to tip the shelf up in the position shown in Figure 6.

As indicated above, my invention is particularly useful in connection with the display of the variety of bakery products known as sweet goods. preferred positions on top of a counter or display stand, and a panel such as shown in my drawing is admirably adapted for this purpose. The cakes, rolls and the like which constitute the grocers supply of sweet goods come in many different sizes and shapes, as is well known. Advanta- It is customary to give such goods the play, is not a simple problem.

In the display rack embodying my invention it will be seen that means are provided for convenient accommodation of items of various sizes. When it is desired to display an item of larger size, such as a cake or large sweet roll, indicated. at 36 in Figure 2, several shelves l8 can be tipped up, as shown, to allow the item 36 to lie substantially flat against the panel I0.

and display of other goods, such as 38, by tipping down the desired shelf. Plainly, any desired disposition of goods along the remaining length of the panel I can be made in similar manner.

It is thus possible to build up a display in which items need not rest upon one another. There are no problems of crushing or mashing the goods, because they are individually supported. Lower items can be removed from the display without disarranging the adjacent items in the display. Pieces of odd shapes and sizes, packaged in various ways, can be easily accommodated.

Cleaning of the shelf assembly is much simplified. As previously indicated, the space between the panel l0 and the portion 20 of the shelf provided by forming the portions 28 adjacent the lugs 22, allows crumbs to drop through freely so that they do not obstruct the hinge operation of the shelf. This largely eliminates trouble from crumbs which would otherwise get struck to the shelf or supporting panel when the shelf is turned up, and eliminates a dirt collecting corner which would be very hard to get at with a cleaning cloth. The bottoms of the shelves are easily cleaned by tipping them all up, and wiping the assembly.

It need hardly be stated that a display rack embodying my invention can be manufactured very economically, inasmuch as no complicated machine operations are required and the only material needed is ordinary sheet metal. Assembly involves nothing more complicated than slipping the lugs 22 into the slots 24 and bending down the portion 26 to keep the shelves from slipping out of place.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure, or use of mechanical equivalents,.which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a display rack, a support panel having a slot therethrough, a shelf member having an extension thereon formed at an angle thereto and passing through said slot, a portion of said extension behind said slot being deformed to prevent withdrawal thereof through said slot, and

The space above it, however, may still be utilized for the supply' means for maintaining a substantial portion of the edge of said shelf spaced from said panel.

2. On a panel having openings therein, a plurality of shelves having L-shaped extensions therefrom passing through said openings, said extensions engaging the rear of said panel to support said shelves substantially perpendicular to the surface of said panel, portions of said extensions being deformed to prevent the withdrawal of said extensions through said openings, and means on said shelves maintaining a space between said shelves and said surface. 3. In means for supporting goods on a display panel having slots formed therein, a shelf having mounting lugs extending therefrom at right angles to the plane of said shelf, said lugs passing loosely through said slots and engaging the rear surface of said panel to maintain said shelf in position at right angles to said panel, and permitting the shelf to be folded up flat against the panel to make the panel free of projecting parts, said shelf having projections along the edge thereof whereby portions of said edge are substantially spaced from said panel when said shelf is in extended position.

4. A slotted display panel, a shelf, the shelf having mounting legs extending from one edge substantially perpendicular to the plane of the shelf, passing loosely through the slots in said panel, and engaging the rear surface of the panel the loose fit of the lugs in the slots permitting the shelf to be tipped up flat against the panel, and said one edge of the shelf being relieved along the major part of its length, thus leaving a space between said edge and the panel when the shelf is extended from the panel.

5. In a display rack, a panel member having perforations formed therein, and a shelf member having spaced apart mounting lugs extending from one edge thereof perpendicularly to the plane of the shelf, spaced inwardly from the ends of said shelf member, passing through said perforations, 'and engaging the rear surface of the panel when the shelf member is extended outwardly from the panel, said shelf member being formed with projections from said one edge thereof on each side of each. of said lugs, whereby the major part of the length of said edge is held away from said panel when the shelf is in extended position.

6. A display fixture embodying a panel member having a plurality of horizontally spaced perforations formed therein, and shelf members, each having spaced apart mounting lugs extending from one edge thereof perpendicularly to the plane of the shelf, passing loosely through said perforations, engaging the rear surface of the panel to retain the shelf member in position extended outwardly from the panel, and permitting the shelf to be folded flat against said panel, adjacent shelves being mounted in aligned openings so that when extended they lie in the same plane and form a substantially continuous shelf for the display of goods.

ERNEST R. ERICKSON. 

